


not a parting but a promise

by FullmetalChords, mother_hearted



Series: Toki and Meg's Faerghus Husbands AU [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Established Relationship, Intercrural Sex, M/M, No War AU, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Roleplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:40:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25956874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullmetalChords/pseuds/FullmetalChords, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mother_hearted/pseuds/mother_hearted
Summary: From the outside, everything looks just as he left it this morning. Except when he turns his door knob and finds it unlocked. His heart gives a jolt at the discovery and when he slips inside, it leaps and rattles against his rib cage. All from the sight of Claude, tucked partially in his bed, modesty only preserved by a single sheet.Dimitri practically slams the door shut behind him.--With the school year coming to a close, Dimitri and Claude refuse to say goodbye.Co-written between FullmetalChords and mother_hearted for day 5 of dmclbdayweek!
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Series: Toki and Meg's Faerghus Husbands AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881556
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	not a parting but a promise

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is written in alternating pov style between Dimitri (mother_hearted) and Claude (me).
> 
> Happy reading \o/

_Your Highness,_

_I simply have to speak with you._

_Your quarters? Just shy of the last bell?_

_I can hardly wait._

_Sweetly,_

_your secret admirer._

Dimitri can practically see the wink after reading the note. He folds the paper carefully, tucking it in the same pocket as his handkerchief. His afternoon lecture crawls by agonizingly slow, academia doing little to catch his attention, not when his mind is lost to his plans for the evening. Graduation is at the end of this week, all finals and major field tests have been completed, and in true end of school year spirit, Dimitri’s mind is far, far away. 

Part of him is already back home, ready and itching to step into his new responsibilities, face his uncle and advisers no longer as a boy but as a man. 

And then there is the youthful part of him now, planning his own schemes for how often he and Claude will write one another while they’re apart. He is in no mood to say goodbye and so he doesn’t think about their parting. He’ll dream only of their reunion… but he’s getting ahead of himself. 

His excitement reminds him Claude is still close, they are still together, and Dimitri’s note burns in his pocket as his feet carry him from room to room, down halls, up stairs, and finally, _finally,_ up the stairs to his room. 

From the outside, everything looks just as he left it this morning. Except when he turns his door knob and finds it unlocked. His heart gives a jolt at the discovery and when he slips inside, it leaps and knocks against his ribcage. All at the sight of Claude, tucked partially in his bed, modesty only preserved by a single sheet.

Dimitri practically slams the door shut behind him, already full of doubts he’ll be able to keep up his part of the act.

Claude grins at Dimitri’s reaction, green eyes already twinkling with mischief. He’s been waiting just as long as Dimitri, anticipating keeping him warm, and he’s already decided on his opening line. 

He figures he’ll keep it simple, if he’s the prince’s admirer. “I’ve been waiting for you, Your Highness.” And he poses, sitting up on his side to show off the length of his body, sheet falling down and pooling at his hip. His fingers run along the curve of his neck, keeping up his image of the alluring seductress. “I couldn't stop thinking about you all day... Watching you train in the morning, sweat shining on your skin. That's when I knew I had to have you."

All the best acts have a grain of truth to them and in Claude’s case, everything is true - save for watching Dimitri training specifically at dawn.

Oh, Goddess. Dimitri practically vibrates from the other side of the room. He has to consciously remind himself he is to be - stern. … Or at least hold off five minutes before letting himself fall in bed with Claude. 

His attempt at play acting is clumsy but sincere.

“I did not. Invite you to my quarters. How did you get in?”

He can see Dimitri valiantly struggling to resist and isn't going to give him _too_ hard a time, just wants to have a bit more fun first. 

"I scaled the wall," he quickly invents (really he's had a key to Dimitri's room for weeks now). "Broke in through your window so I could... Mmm, surprise you." 

And he peels back the sheet, revealing that he is, in fact, fully naked, getting to his feet and swaying his hips as he comes to stand before Dimitri. "I went through an awful lot of trouble just to see you... Are you going to call your guards?"

Claude's body is so... hnnn. Dimitri has gotten reasonably familiar with it but seeing him act so bold gets his heart pounding! He sucks in a breath to continue playing his role.

"I won't. I can remove you myself." And he reaches for Claude's wrist with barely any strength, giving him the space to playfully subdue Dimitri anyway he sees fit. They both agreed that Dimitri would want this but his pride makes him resistant at first. He’ll fall apart under Claude's touch, be ravished senseless, but first Claude has to get him to the bed.

And Claude easily twists free from Dimitri's grip, ends up grabbing Dimitri by both of his wrists and pinning him against the door. Claude loves Dimitri, loves the feeling of having him submit but doesn't quite have it in him to act mean or forceful when dominating Dimitri. He tries instead to be bewitching, silver-tongued, to talk Dimitri into bed rather than outright drag him there. 

"Would you really send me away so soon, Your Highness?" He quirks an eyebrow, their faces close together but not touching yet. "After I went through all the trouble to surprise you... It's not very hospitable of you."

Wow... Just from the hands on his wrists, Dimitri's legs feel like jelly. And he likes that Claude isn't forceful, instead cunning and smooth with his words. So close to Dimitri, Dimitri can let his eyes flick from beautiful feature to beautiful feature on his face, let Claude see how Dimitri lingers on his wicked mouth. 

"I... can't." He tries to think up a reason why, to draw out this excitement a little longer. "This is improper. We are not... involved." Heat sinks deeper into his cheeks, embarrassed by his performance, and looks for silent reassurance from Claude. 

This acting business is entirely his domain, not Dimitri, not at all.

Claude can see Dimitri's uncertainty - not in what they're doing, but in his own performance - and he lets his own act slip, just a little, to let his expression relax into a loving smile. Proud of Dimitri for playing along. Reassuring him that he loves him, truly, exactly as he is.

But it only lasts a moment before he falls back into character, the admirer giving the prince a dissatisfied little pout. 

"Would you not want to be 'involved' with me?" he demands. Grips Dimitri's wrists just a little harder, not enough to hurt, but as if reminding him of his presence. "Why not? What's wrong with me?" He narrows his eyes a little. 

"I'm going to have to show you what you'd be missing out on, won't I?"

His beloved’s sweet smile allows Dimitri to look over his uncertainty, encouraging Dimitri to throw himself back into their silly act. "I never said anything was wrong with you!" A childish protest to counter the childish pout given to him. (Claude really is cute when he pouts... even knowing it's an act, Dimitri is hopelessly endeared.) 

And there's no hiding the new wave of heat that washes over Dimitri at Claude's insinuation. Can't keep the tremor of want out of his words. "What do you mean show me?" 

He doesn't even try to get out of Claude's hold.

The corners of his mouth curl upward. Knowing Dimitri is right here with him, that even with their game they're on the same page. 

"So much," he purrs, and gets that much closer to nose against Dimitri's cheek. "You're always so tightly wound, Your Highness. Isn't it time someone showed you how to have a bit of fun?" 

And with that, he kisses the corner of Dimitri's jaw, just before moving down to kiss his neck - or at least the parts of his neck that aren't covered by his uniform collar. He's wearing his usual outfit, save the armor, and Claude looks forward to peeling it off of him piece by piece... But he's getting a bit ahead of himself.

He almost tilts his head all the way back to give Claude room before he catches himself. Reminds himself at the last second this isn't the boy who is courting him but an interloper, trying to drag a prince into a deliciously wicked trap. 

There's no keeping the noise of bliss he makes when Claude kisses just under his jaw. He supposes he'll work that in, somehow. "...I don't know how to have fun. Is someone like that truly appealing?" 

An opening for Claude and his crafty tongue.

"You don't?" He lets the words buzz against Dimitri's skin. "Poor, sheltered little prince. Never learned how to --" He kisses his neck again, hot and open-mouthed. "--enjoy himself. Never learned much about... pleasure..." 

He pulls back to catch Dimitri's eye, a wicked glint in it. 

"I suppose I'll simply have to teach you," he says, before stepping back, pulling Dimitri by his wrists over to the bed.

Nnn. Dimitri's half hard dick makes his stumbling start to the bed all the more real. Lets himself be swept away to the bed, enjoying the feeling of helplessness wrapped within the reality that he’s far from helpless. Not simply because of his strength. All because Claude would change course if he asked. 

It feels so good to feel safe enough to play like this, that Claude is willing to take on this role for Dimitri. Appealing to the desires he's always been told were wrong. 

He lets his backside get planted onto the bed, leaving him sitting while Claude is standing, a powerful figure over him. Hhh. He's even more aware of all his skin on display. The confidence that comes with it, oh... And it's his turn, uh, "What makes you such an authority on... pleasure?"

Mmmm. Claude's cock is thickening between his legs, no way to hide it, as he looms over Dimitri. Releases his wrist to press a palm flat against his chest, fully aware of the power he holds, but just as aware of the responsibility he has to make sure Dimitri enjoys himself just as much as Claude does. 

Authority, huh... "I suppose I _could_ give you a full rundown of my credentials," Claude hums. Runs his hand along the thick fabric of Dimitri's uniform, finding the fastenings hidden in the seams of his jacket and thumbing them loose around his throat one by one. "But, mmm..." Pushes Dimitri back just a little so that Claude can climb onto the bed with him, straddling his lap while he plays with Dimitri's hair. 

"It'd be better if I just showed you," he murmurs, lips so close to Dimitri's that he can't resist leaning in for a hot, slow kiss.

Even now, after the talks they've had, the promises they've made together, Dimitri can't believe Claude can become aroused just from looking at him. It makes him dizzy to see, pretends that is what distracts him from the fingers at his throat, the hand in his hair. Left with no choice but to accept Claude's kiss, and he's allowed to kiss back, isn't he? 

He groans softly, becoming Claude's flower, letting him take the nectar from his mouth. Pulls back dizzy and flushed, hands gripping his pants because he doesn't know the rules, if he is allowed Claude's hips in his hands. "T-This... I am not convinced." His lie is laughably bad. He tries to stop his self-conscious smile.

Claude laughs softly, not as the seducer but as himself. Willing to slowly let go of the game as the night progresses, knowing that when they finally lie together he wants to do it as himself. As Claude, lying with his - his beloved, the beautiful young man he is courting. 

"No?" He shifts on Dimitri's lap, his jutting cock brushing against Dimitri's stomach and making him moan, just a little, in the back of his throat. "Perhaps if you stopped resisting, Your Highness. Allowed me to show you how good this can feel..." 

He pauses, considering, then reaches for Dimitri's hands again, where they have fisted in the fabric of Dimitri's clothing. "You can touch me," he says, guiding Dimitri's hands toward his chest, teasing them both, before settling them on Claude's shoulders. 

"Anywhere you like... Or perhaps I need to touch you some more, to persuade you?" He slips a hand inside Dimitri's jacket, tracing his collarbone.

It feels so distinctly naughty for Claude to push his hand inside his jacket, lightly fondle Dimitri with his hand hidden from view. "Oh..." His hands slowly slide up and down his biceps, enjoying the muscle tone from his archery lessons. 

"Maybe I could be persuaded..." he trails off, his thought unfinished. Oops. Luckily, he has the perfect inspiration right in front of him. "...if we were on the same even keel. I feel very overdressed." 

Yes, left feeling stuffy and out of place with the beautiful rogue in his lap completely bare. When His Highness loses his layers, surely he'll lose his inhibitions too.

"Oh?" Claude wriggles happily on Dimitri's lap, subtly flexing for him as he squeezes his biceps. "As my prince commands..." 

He doesn't waste much time after that undoing the fastenings of Dimitri's jacket, stripping it from his shoulders and tossing it unceremoniously to the floor. Dimitri still wears layers underneath it, with the cool air of Lone Moon only just suggesting the start of spring; there is a long-sleeved shirt to deal with, and under that a tight black turtleneck. Claude divests Dimitri of the long-sleeved shirt, but settles for fondling Dimitri through his undershirt for now. Knowing that, even with their relationship in a much stronger place than it was earlier in the winter, there are still days Dimitri does not want to be seen. Willing to let Dimitri decide tonight if he wants to be completely naked. 

"Your body, mmm..." Claude runs his hands over Dimitri's arms, following the line of his shoulders to then run down his chest. Feeling the familiar shape of his muscles through his thin shirt. "Do you know yet, Your Highness, what it can do? How good another man's touch can make you feel?" He'll ride out their little game as long as Dimitri wants, knowing to stop once he uses Claude's name. When they can then enjoy this moment as themselves.

Dimitri's head tips back, teeth digging into his wonderfully full bottom lip. No matter the layers that prevent Claude from touching his skin directly, the heat of his hands still comes through. Reduces Dimitri to a boy who loses the ability to think, hypnotized by the tingles running down his spine. How his pleasure sits, aching and ready, at the base of his cock. 

His pants are too tight. While he can appreciate Claude's clever pacing in their game, he is young and inexperienced, lacking both finesse and patience. It doesn't mean he wants to throw in the towel just yet - there's still a moment he wants, has craved after dreaming in his bed, thighs clamped around his pillow. 

Not knowing how to navigate Claude to it, Dimitri settles for second best. Hugs Claude tight, tucking his hot face into his neck to whisper out of character: "Push me down, please. I want to be trapped under you." He kisses his neck, at the spot of his nearly healed hickey. Fondly remembers the afternoon of reading and necking in Claude's room. Mmm.

"Hnn," Claude can't help but whimper as Dimitri kisses his neck, the sensitive skin that still remembers the touch of his lips, his teeth. Already excited to feel him again... 

"Oh, Your Princeliness," he starts, then catches himself, "I mean, Your _Highness_." Chuckles at himself. "You have no idea how long I've hungered for you. To have you underneath me, at my mercy..." And he maneuvers them easily so that Dimitri's head hits his pillow, flat on his back, Claude hovering over him as he nudges his legs wider. 

"Just like that," he says, and lays on him, chest to chest, hip to hip, easily holding both of Dimitri's wrists in one hand and lifting them over his head. Free hand on his waist as their mouths nearly touch again. "Does this please you?"

And on his back all Dimitri wants to be is Claude's supper, his feast, his own hunger in clear view for Claude to see. His limbs lack strength, body submitting in a way he can nowhere else. Only with Claude. His Claude."Yes," he whimpers, his deep voice as thick as his cock. "Want you, want you to have me." 

Transformed by the knowledge Claude loves him, is attracted to him, will never hurt him for being honest, Dimitri says, "Want your cock," for the fear and thrill of it. To see the reaction on Claude's face. Feel the way their lips brush together when he says it. Hhh. 

Can't help the way his knees already squeeze his sides. Wanting to wrap his legs around him, fit together in all the ways they can, no space existing between them.

"Oh," he groans, and dips his head to capture Dimitri's mouth. Feeling the way Dimitri hardens against him, the way his knees clutch him, keeping him close by. Knowing that Dimitri wants him here, that he is not some interloper like the character he was playing. That he is right where he belongs. 

"Dimitri," he sighs, character broken as his lips find Dimitri's lovely throat, mouthing at it, feeling the way he swallows and moans. "I'll let you have it. Nn, fill you up with my cock-" 

They've play-acted this way several times now, Claude atop Dimitri while pretending to penetrate him. It's always something special for them, one of their fantasies that Claude holds closest to his heart.

He wiggles out of Claude's grip to hold him close, keep him on top of Dimitri where he belongs. Except, "Claude, mm --! I need to take my pants off. It feels like it's being strangled." 

Is there a better way to say it? Ah well. It's all right if Claude laughs. Dimitri is too dizzy with gratitude and need to do much else than squirm under his beloved, riding the anticipation of pretending to shelter Claude's cock inside him.

He does laugh a little, fond as always as he shifts his weight. "The poor thing," he coos, reaching down to fumble with Dimitri's belt, undoing his trousers and shimmying them down his legs as Dimitri raises his hips, helping him. "That won't do... Let's see if I can help." 

His sweet lion, purring beneath him, flushed and loving. Claude hears him kick off his boots, both of them clattering to the floor as Claude strips him, pants and undergarments both falling to Dimitri's ankles while his cock stands tall between his legs, red and weeping as always. 

Claude can't resist a touch, already hard against him, already humping him like an animal in heat. "Mmm," he groans, tucking his face into the crook of Dimitri's neck, his hips moving almost involuntarily. "Unh... Dimitri... What did you h-have in mind, for tonight?"

"Mm, hh, Claude... I -" Dimitri swallows down a moan as they rut against each other, messy and uncoordinated. Dimitri's hands travel down the length of his back, ending up on Claude's ass to hold and squeeze, loving to hold him as much as push him down harder on Dimitri. 

"I wanted to..." He trails off, words freezing themselves on his tongue, refusing to be spoken. This is their last night together for who knows how long and he wants to make the most of it, wants to feel Claude inside him - for real. Despite practicing how to ask hours ago, his doubts set in. What if Claude says no, or what if Dimitri can't take him, or - His brain becomes a beehive of conflicting thoughts and desires and he's not ready. He wanted to be ready and he's not. 

And now Claude is waiting for him to speak and they could continue like this, hump each other vigorously, crying out at one another but he wants to feel Claude closer. If he can't have him inside, then maybe... 

After a too pregnant pause Dimitri blurts out, "Between my thighs?"

He pulls back enough to meet Dimitri's eyes, gives him a slow and loving smile, sloppy with affection. "I'd like that." Something they haven't done before, but oh, Claude loves the thought of his cock sliding between Dimitri's slick thighs, the way his legs will grip him... 

Something special to recall their last night together, at least before they have to part for- a while. Claude is no fool. Knows that he and Dimitri will be kept too busy for at least the first few months after graduation to see one another again. 

They've talked about it. Promised to write as often as they can. Outside of this space Claude frets about how long that will last, how long it will be before Dimitri stops writing to him altogether - but no. Those are worries for another time, and he wants to stay in this moment. This one perfect, peaceful moment where they are two boys in love and have no other concerns than simply being with one another. 

But Dimitri seems a little frantic, so before he continues any further, he touches his beloved's cheek, giving him a concerned smile. "Are you all right, Dimitri?"

Tears appear in an instant, when Claude is being so sweet to him. So gentle in all the ways Dimitri has needed but never received. He tries to blink them back. Doesn't want to give himself a migraine from crying too hard, not now, when they're going to have sex. When this night will be his freshest memory of - Claude, the private face he wears for only Dimitri. 

"I am just..." Overwhelmed. Unable to parse the whirlwind of feelings in his body but he knows he wants this, is happy Claude wants it too. Doesn't have the vocabulary to explain the complex relationship between his body, his needs, his perception of himself that shines bright in Claude's eyes but dull in Dimitri's own. "I am okay," settles on with a nod. 

A shy smile on his lips when he tells Claude, "I'm excited, we're making love." 

He kisses his mouth softly.

Oh... Claude's heart wibbles at that, in spite of himself. That part of himself that he keeps so guarded in front of all but Dimitri. He smiles into their kiss, dives back in for a second, and a third. 

"Me, too. I'm--" His voice catches in his throat on all the emotions lodged there, the ones he doesn't want interfering with this evening. Shoves aside thoughts that this will be the last time he gets to be with Dimitri, the last time anyone will accept him; keeps those thoughts as far away as he can. "I'm-- glad, that we have tonight." 

And he bends down to kiss Dimitri again, drink him in deeply. Tilting his head back so Claude can kiss him deeper, erase any space between them. "If I'm going to -- hh -- put it between your thighs," he says, embarrassed, "we need... oil, or something to make you slick... Do you have any?"

Equally embarrassed, too, Dimitri, rubs at his own hot cheek. "Urm, yes. It is not meant for, ahem, intimate activities but it was all I could find." There was no time or chance for Dimitri to run errands into town, to buy a little oil for themselves with his own pocket money. So... "I took my bottle of oil from the training hall." It's meant for weapon maintenance, but it should be fine... Claude won't be using it to push into him. 

He stretches out his arm to grab the handle of his nightstand's drawer. Fusses with it until Claude reaches over to help him open it. There, Dimitri grabs his glass bottle and offers it to Claude. 

"Do you want to, um, prepare me or should I...?" 

Claude's hands rubbing his thighs slick... He's dizzy all over again, cock twitching needy between his legs. Mm... "Could you do it?" he asks again, sheepish. Wants every second of Claude's hands he can get on him. Tonight, and the next few days too. Holding his hand in the courtyard, sharing kisses before they must part... 

It's not that time yet. He can think about that later.

"Gladly." He takes the bottle with some faint amusement, familiar with watching Dimitri use this very oil to keep his lances in good order. Unstoppers the bottle, spilling some onto his palm, the way it smells faintly of iron... 

A thought pops into his head, and - it spoils the mood they're creating, soft and romantic, but once it's in, it won't leave, and Claude finds himself giggling in spite of himself. "Oh, I'm- s-sorry," he gasps between fits of laughter, spying the hurt look on Dimitri's face. "I just, hah..." Rubs his oiled fingers together with a grin. 

"You use this stuff to polish your swords, and now I'm using it to polish mine. Um, so to speak."

Claude has never laughed at him in bed and Dimitri can't stop the hurt that ripples through his head until it screeches to a stop, a snort bursting out of him so loud, he has to cover his mouth. 

_"Claude."_ Goddess he loves him. He gives a chuckle, a silly grin on his own face. "If you're my sword, then I must be your sheathe." Teasing, as he calls back to his own attempted dirty talk, months ago. "Hmm... Do you see yourself as an excalibur or a more humble blade?" 

He can't help himself. Claude has coaxed out his playful side, the bit of silliness even Dimitri can indulge in when he feels safe and comfortable. He's never felt safer than with Claude, proven further when he rolls out his legs to give Claude access to his inner thighs.

Claude chuckles again, now running his oiled hands along Dimitri's inner thighs, tickling the sensitive skin there. 

"Oh, nothing quite so assuming... Enchanted, though, definitely. Powerful enough to bring a prince to his knees..." He winks at Dimitri, watching the way his grin widens. He loves seeing Dimitri happy, smiling, joking even as they're about to make love. "Swift like, ah..." Nearly says 'Almyran steel,' which is renowned the world over... But no, he keeps that little joke to himself for now, though he snorts. "Like, one of Zoltan's, perhaps." 

His job done, he wipes any excess oil across his chest before crawling over Dimitri once again, giving him a loving kiss as he settles along his body. 

"Well then," he says, and lowers his hips to where they're meant to be, cock rubbing against Dimitri's inner thigh. "Let me sheathe myself in you, my lion."

Mmm... 

"Yes, please." He's still smiling, albeit less goofy now. Much more eager, seen in the way his arms come around Claude. He brings his legs back together, and feels the difference immediately, the hard shape of his stiff dick held between his thighs. "Oh, Claude..." He's not inside Dimitri but he feels so close. 

"Should I squeeze around you now or...?" He plays with the back of his hair, first time nerves all over again with the new act. His excitement can't be mistaken though, the way his breathing comes faster, the twitch of his cock.

Claude trembles. He can't help it. Feeling Dimitri's warm flesh around his cock, slick with heat, Dimitri's breath hitching beneath Claude... 

He's not inside Dimitri... But it's close. 

"Nn... Not yet," he manages to stammer. "I don't think I'll... last long if you do... Oh, my darling." Kisses Dimitri, hungry, loving, groaning as his hips shift. This is a new kind of play, a new pleasure they're discovering, and Claude-- 

Oh, Claude wants to savor it all. 

"Don't squeeze too tight," he manages to hiss, "but oh, don't let go, azizam." And slowly slides back, only to push forward again.

"Ah... Claude, I-I'll try. Mm..." He feels his cock stroking under his balls, shy of the stretch of his perineum. The oil makes him glide, so smooth Dimitri's toes curl in an effort not to squeeze his thighs and clench around Claude's cock tighter. 

"It really feels like you're taking me..." he moans, breathless. Wants to just enjoy the sensation of being stroked, being enjoyed. Holds Claude tightly in his arms, taking his own hungry kisses from his mouth. "Take me, dearest..." 

"All I want to be is yours..." he confesses, his heart laid bare for Claude. "Yours," he repeats, "all yours..."

"Mine," he repeats with a gasp, tears springing to his eyes as he does, "you're mine, oh..." This sense of belonging, of fitting with Dimitri so perfectly, he never wants to lose it. Knowing things will be harder when they are separated. 

"And I'm yours," he promises, breathing his love into Dimitri's mouth. "Always... Oh, Dima, I love you..." No longer afraid to say it. No longer fearing that Dimitri will throw him away or turn his back on him. 

His cock fits so perfectly into the snug space between Dimitri's legs, the slide wonderful with the addition of the oil. Claude moans again, losing himself in the pleasure of it, feeling just shy of being inside Dimitri. His eyes don't leave Dimitri's, not once. Wanting this memory imprinted into his heart forever.

"Mine," Dimitri whispers, voice tight in his even tighter throat. "Always, my love... My Claude." He can't control his strength any longer, holding Claude tighter in his arms, clutching his cock with his strong thighs. Wants to feel him come - between his legs. 

"Love you, forever." For all his doubts over his ability to love himself, he has never doubted his feelings for Claude. What he told Rodrigue and what he will tell his uncle, that Claude is his beloved and his partner, that he has taught him how to be strong and with him he can grow even stronger.

The way Dimitri holds him, clutching at his back, thighs clenching around his cock... Claude will always have a home here, he realizes. Not within these four walls, but in the arms of this person who, incredibly, loves him. Who he loves in return. 

The man that - he will one day share his whole self with. Who will visit Almyra with him, who will meet his parents. Who will meet Khalid, and - 

And for once, Claude thinks that both halves of himself could finally be loved by the same person. 

He can't hold on - gasps a quick apology to Dimitri as he lets go, spilling between his thighs, experiencing euphoria in the arms of his beloved. Claude clings to Dimitri with everything he can, as though his skin can keep the memory of being in his arms. 

"Dimitri," he moans, hips still moving shallowly as he milks his cock, giving Dimitri every part of him.

Claude sees the self that Dimitri harbors from everyone else and doesn't ask him to change, only wants him to be honest, to share the feelings that all too often give Dimitri turmoil. Despite never being granted this gift before, he will protect it with all that he is, make himself worthy of being loved by someone as bright, kind, and marvelous as Claude. 

Feels a deep sense of satisfaction as Claude shakes in his arms, spilling wet between his thighs. He squirms at the feeling, groaning happily as Claude finishes. Gives him weak little pulses of his muscles flexing to thoroughly sate him. Will take this memory back to Faerghus with him, will lie in his bed a little less lonely thinking of Claude, alive and loving on top of him. 

He wants to wait, he should, but he can't wait any longer, one hand finally sliding between them to grasp his cock. Strokes himself fast, sensitive from the lack of attention. His turn to moan loudly, Claude's name spilling off his lips. 

"Already close..."

"Nn, darling..." Claude feels so...complete, lying in his arms. Hazy and content in the wake of his orgasm -- but not so far gone that he won't help his beloved get here with him. 

"Here," he murmurs, and wraps his hand around Dimitri's as he jerks himself off. Not taking over from him or stopping him, but wanting to be a part of it somehow. "I've got you... Want you all over me, too. Nn, on my stomach..." 

Props himself on his elbow so there's room, watching Dimitri's expression all the while.

Beyond words, Dimitri loses himself in his fist, in Claude's hand wrapped around his fist. Hears his request, to paint his stomach so they can wear each other and, "Oh, oh," his breathing stutters, his hand speeding up as Claude follows him. 

It's perfect, how Claude surrounds him, how his come stays sticky wet where his thighs touch, and Dimitri is coming, teary eyed and loud with a groan. Makes sure to aim for Claude's belly, splattering over his hip too. He always feels free after he comes but it's different this time, something deeper, unearthed from the plot of his heart no one had touched before. Not until Claude, with his golden wit, silver tongue, and patch-worked heart just like Dimitri's. 

Instead of free he feels tethered, certain of the fact he is Claude’s and Claude is his. They have found each other and no matter how far the lands between them span, they will always be together. 

"Ah... That was amazing," Dimitri whispers sweet, rubbing his warm face against Claude's cheek. "You were amazing."

_Me?_ the old Claude would have joked. _Someone hasn't looked in the mirror lately, Your Princeliness._

The old Claude isn't completely gone, but he's learned that he has permission to be soft. That he is allowed to demonstrate his feelings and will not be hated for it. At first, it's all he can do to nuzzle Dimitri in turn, wordlessly demonstrating all his affection and love. 

"It's never been so good," Claude murmurs. Forehead pressed against Dimitri's so he can look into his eyes. Arms wrapped around him, legs intertwined. So tightly locked together that no force can separate them. Not distance, not time. 

"Love you," he murmurs again, nuzzling their noses together. "Love you so much...my beautiful Dima. Want to keep you with me forever." 

Says it without sorrow, without regrets. Is only starting to accept Dimitri will stay in his heart, no matter where they end up.

"Oh, Claude," and Dimitri is choked up, happier than he's ever been. "Yes, forever," he gets out, happy tears falling down his cheeks. "I love you. You have made so many of my dreams come true." More than just intimacy, exploring each other's bodies. Being with Claude has allowed Dimitri to be soft, to be childish, to be stubborn, to be himself in all the ways he thought he had to keep locked up forever. 

No more being a story book prince or a noble prince of a holy kingdom. All he is is Dimitri. 

...and he could never be Dimitri without Claude.

Dimitri's tears... They bring out Claude's own, in spite of himself. No stranger to Dimitri's tendency to get weepy in his arms during sex, but it's rare for Claude to get this way, too. 

"I..." He nearly chokes on the words he wants to say, but Dimitri's words are so beautiful. He deserves some of his own. "I didn't...know _how_ to dream, before you," he manages. "Not for myself. Definitely not of meeting someone like you." 

More than anything else, Claude learned that he could be loved in Dimitri's arms. That he does not have to change or adapt. That the love he receives does not have to be conditional. 

"Heh..." He wipes at the corners of his eyes, even as they continue to leak. "Look at us... Let's not talk like we're about to say goodbye, all right? We're not." He tightens his arms around Dimitri. "We're not," he repeats, stubborn.

With the way Dimitri blinks at Claude, you'd think the thought never occurred to him. If you made such an assessment, you'd be right. Dimitri hasn't intended to make any parting gestures because they are not leaving one another, not really. 

"We are not saying goodbye." He shakes his head, confident in his words. "I will see you soon." And he smiles, a fool in love through and through. "And I will kiss you no matter who our audience is."

Claude melts in the face of Dimitri's confidence, his love for him. Weeps, overwhelmed with the feelings that well up inside him. 

"Oh," he says, and sniffles. Happy, but... emotional. "I'd, hah, I'd love to see that." Wipes at his eyes again, takes Dimitri's face into his hands. 

"I guess I needed the reassurance more than you did," he admits, quiet. It's the closest he wants to come, at least tonight, to admitting how hard their parting will be on him.

"It's okay." 

He'll be sad the morning he wakes up and knows there is no hope of seeing Claude in the flesh. No way to hold his hand. No chance to banter with or chide at him. But it will not be forever, they are both too stubborn for that. 

"And you can hold me to that promise." He grins, the confident brash young man he can be when his demons cannot keep him wrapped up in their shadows. "I will kiss the breath out of your lungs and show everyone how much I adore you." 

Dimitri is not normally one to make a scene but their reunion will be cause for celebration and he can think of no better celebration than that of their love.

He looks forward to that day. More than anything, more than memories of their past here at Garreg Mach, thoughts of their future will keep Claude warm on the cold nights without Dimitri just down the hall from him. Much, much more than a few steps away from his kisses, from his warmth. 

He smiles up at Dimitri, warm and young and in love with him. 

"Yeah?" His lips tease the edge of Dimitri's. "Wanna show me, just so I know what I have to look forward to?"

There's his scoundrel. 

Dimitri is more than happy to do as he's told, kissing him with all the love and affection he can muster. 

Happy, with the one who holds all pieces of his fractured heart and accepts them all.


End file.
